Last week, the DRA hosted Maria Contreras-Sweet, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and White House Cabinet member, on her #SBAonMainSt tour of small businesses in communities along the Mississippi River. The SBA's five-day Delta Region Main Street Road Tour, which highlighted the importance of small businesses to main street economies, encompassed five states and 11 cities, including St. Genevieve and Cape Girardeau, MO; Blytheville and Helena, AR; Memphis, TN; and Clarksdale, Jackson, and Vicksburg, MS. Contreras-Sweet concluded her tour in Louisiana with visits to St. Francisville and New Orleans.

Contreras-Sweet was joined by DRA Chairmen Masingill and Marshall as she awarded certificates of recognition to small businesses along the main streets of Delta communities – businesses ranging from cafes and distilleries to boutiques and hardware stores.

The tour met with Mayor Jim Strickland of Memphis, TN, for a walking tour of famous Beale Street. At our headquarters in Clarksdale, DRA held a roundtable discussion with Administrator Contreras-Sweet and SBA district leadership on “Small Business Lending in the Delta,” hearing from local bankers, lenders, and small business owners.

SBA is a strong partner of DRA in fulfilling its Small Business & Entrepreneurship Policy Framework and mission of investing in the small businesses and entrepreneurs that help drive the Delta economy.

Bluegrass Medical IRT health clinic will provide no-cost medical, dental, and optical services in western Kentucky beginning on Monday, July 15 through Wednesday, July 27 at three locations:

Bardwell:
Carlisle County High School
4557 KY-1377, Bardwell

Mayfield:
Graves County High School
1220 Eagles Way, Mayfield

Paducah:
Paducah Tilghman High School
2400 Washington Street, Paducah

No appointments are necessary, but patients will be seen on a first come, first served basis and are encouraged to arrive early. The clinics will open their doors at 8:00 am every day except Sunday, July 24, when it will open at Noon, and will close at 4:30 pm each day, with a shortened last day on Wednesday, July 27. Residents of Kentucky, southeast Missouri, and southern Illinois are welcome to participate.

Military medical personnel will provide services that include non-emergency medical treatments and screenings, dental cleanings, fillings, and tooth extractions, eye exams and single-vision prescription glasses. Residents will also be able to obtain sports physicals and information about local healthcare services, public health programs, and valuable resources.

Social entrepreneur Tim Lampkin, 30, is the CEO of Lampkin Consulting Group, a community development firm based in the DRA's hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Lampkin's firm works to help organizations develop community projects and secure funding for those projects. Lampkin is also the CEO of Higher Purpose Co., a social enterprise designed to connect, educate, and inspire minority millennials in rural communities.

Through the training and network connections available through the DEN, Lampkin is now living his dream as a successful Delta entreprenuer and working with other entrepreneurs to grow their local economy.

The Delta Leadership Institute is excited to begin the application review and selection of its 12th Executive Academy class this month. Created to foster regional collaboration and leadership capacity building, the Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy trains and engages commmunity leaders to improve the economic and social viability of the Delta region, providing the training, resources, and networking tools to make a positive impact in your Delta community.

If you know of someone who would be a great fit for the Delta Leadership Institute, please encourage them to learn more at dra.gov/leadership.